LONDON, England (CMC) – The creation of climate-smart farms not only got Grenadian Bevon Chadel Charles the attention of the Commonwealth but earned her an award at the Commonwealth Youth Awards this year.

Two other regional youth – Dr Camir Ricketts and Brent Alexander Scotland – have stood out as COVID-19 heroes for their efforts in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic in their communities.

The annual Commonwealth Youth Awards recognises the contributions of young people whose projects are transforming lives in their communities and helping to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). And when five young people were named regional winners for their exceptional work on promoting clean energy, good health, food security and quality education, Charles was among them, taking a bow for her work as the founder of Akata Farms, an organisation which builds self-sustainable farms across the Caribbean, an effort which focuses on SDG two – zero hunger.

“It is an honour to be selected among the brilliant youth leaders from across the Commonwealth,” she said, after accepting her award on Wednesday at the ceremony which was hosted virtually for the first time due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and broadcast by major regional outlets and news agencies, including the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) via its pan-Caribbean channel, CaribVision, and terrestrial stations across the region.

“We have a substantial amount of food being imported to Grenada, which could be produced locally. It is one of our missions to reduce our national import dependence while creating sustainable farms throughout the region,” Charles added.

Her farms operate across 100 acres, providing fresh, quality goods in person and online. Akata Farms also provides peer-to-peer mentorship to young people, particularly women looking to start businesses in agriculture.

As a regional winner, Charles received £3,000 (US$4,177) for her project.

Although they were not winners at the actual awards, three other young people from the region were also recognised: Taahir Bulbulia of Barbados, founder of the Sports Science Society, a student-based organisation that promotes the holistic benefits of sports and provides mentorship to at-risk youth on mental health, sports law and drug prevention; Dawsher Charles of Trinidad and Tobago, founder of Survival Scholars, a project that promotes self-care, good mental health and well-being to at-risk and disadvantaged youth through social and emotional learning skills, the arts and storytelling; and Jubilanté Cutting of Guyana, founder of the Guyana Animation Network which raises awareness and advocates for youth opportunities and skills training in digital media, animation and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The four were among 20 young inventors, activists and entrepreneurs who were chosen as finalists from the more than 1,000 entries received from 43 Commonwealth countries following a rigorous judging process.

Also in the spotlight on Wednesday were Jamaican Dr Camir Ricketts and Brent Alexander Scotland of Antigua and Barbuda who were among 10 people from 10 countries named Commonwealth Youth COVID-19 Heroes.

Dr Ricketts is the founder of MindsOf Initiative, a programme which increases young people’s access to career mentorship and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) training opportunities. He has also co-launched an online app, which has helped 100,000 people to find the COVID-19 testing sites nearest to them, and raised US$4,000 in funds to purchase devices and mobile data for students affected by the pandemic.

Scotland is the president of the Halo Foundation Generation Y, a national youth body supporting and empowering young people. The foundation funded monthly groceries for vulnerable people, and provides a support network to elderly communities isolated during the pandemic. It has also hosted youth events on character building, mental health and suicide awareness.